We are haunted by UFOs. They drift in and out of our culture in movies and on television, on billboards and in books. They are everywhere. However, for one small community, they are much more than the fodder of science fiction storytelling – they alter the entire fabric of reality.

Part narrative journey and part cultural study, The UFO People is a challenge to the UFO subculture and the broader public to recognize that UFOs, and the people who study them, challenge societal norms, institutions, and the many ideologies we assume to be true. This book tells the stories of UFO witnesses and experiencers of the paranormal, and ties in interviews and research of some of the most famous and infamous names in the UFO subculture. With critical questions that touch on history, gender, race, culture and philosophy, this book questions the very nature of UFOs and the people who study them. It delves into the reality that the UFO phenomenon, real or not, abandons us to a ghostly realm where nothing should be taken for granted.

Take a journey into a curious culture and meet individuals who have been forever changed by the impossible. Meet the UFO people.

Contents

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PRAISE FOR THE UFO PEOPLE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PROLOGUE
INTRODUCTION
PART 1: THE UFO PEOPLE
CHAPTER 1: A Cold Day in January
CHAPTER 2: Subcultures
CHAPTER 3;: Haunted Manitoba
CHAPTER 4: The Woman on the Porch
CHAPTER 5: Gender Politics and Flying Saucers
CHAPTER 6: Mundus Imaginalis
CHAPTER 7: The Startling Truth
CHAPTER 8: Roy
CHAPTER 9: The Ghost of Richard Doty
CHAPTER 10: The Invisible College
CHAPTER 11: Derrida and the UFO
PART 2: FROM SUBCULTURE TO EXOCULTURE:
A TREATISE ON THE UFO SUBCULTURE
CHAPTER 12: A Brief History of The Phenomenon
CHAPTER 13: Controlling the Narrative
CHAPTER 14: Scientism and the Myth of Truth
CHAPTER 15: The Counter-Cultural UFO Community
CHAPTER 16: Taboo
CHAPTER 17: Exoculture
EPILOGUE
APPENDIX A: CATHERINE CROWE AND
THE LONG ROAD TO PARANORMAL EQUALITY
APPENDIX B: THE EVOLUTION OF THE EXTRATERRESTRAIL
HYPOTHESIS WITHIN THE UFO SUBCULTURE: AN OPINION

Praise for The UFO People

“An alluring and captivating exploration not so much of the UFO phenomenon as the people who become obsessed with it. Banias identifies that UFO phenomena are so many things that the word “UFO” is practically meaningless, while also revealing that the “believers” and scientists who study these phenomena are as interesting as the phenomena themselves.
For anyone interested in social history, UFOs, or just looking for an engaging read, this is their book.”

Diana Walsh Pasulka
Professor, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Chair, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Author, American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology

“MJ Banias brings a different look at ufology and ufologists, covering the waterfront from his personal investigation of UFO cases to his conversations with some of the most controversial figures in the field. But beyond that, he calls on his background in philosophy to ask deep questions about the UFO phenomenon and the UFO community itself, wondering if the marginalized “ghosts” of aliens and paranormal denizens are any more or less “real” than other beliefs in modern society, deconstructing what we know, don’t know, and think we know about UFOs.”

Chris Rutkowski
Science writer and Fortean scholar, author of ten books on eclectic phenomena and co-author of When They Appeared

FEATURING CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALLISON JORNLIN, PAUL DEAN, BARRY GREENWOOD, AND A.J. McCORMICK

MJ Banias is an educator and writer. His popular blog, Terra Obscura, critically examines how philosophy and culture affect society’s understanding of anomalous phenomena, including UFOs. He has been interviewed on many podcasts and radio shows. His work has been featured in Fortean Times Magazine, FATE Magazine and in the book UFOs: Reframing the Debate (White Crow Books). He is a regular contributor to the website, Mysterious Universe and hosts his own YouTube channel. He lives in Canada with his wife, two children, and a massive cat.